The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp applied to, for example, a rear combination lamp and the like.
This type of vehicle lamp is roughly constituted of: a reflector having a reflection surface consisting of a rotating parabolic surface; a light source bulb attached onto an approximate center of the reflector; and a colored outer lens covering a front open portion of the reflector. The vehicle lamp is formed so as to reflect emitted light from the light source bulb on the reflector, and to allow the reflected light to be colored by transmission through the outer lens, and then to irradiate the colored light forward in a desired light distribution pattern.
However, in the conventional vehicle lamp, since a depth of the reflector is deep and the light source bulb is attached onto the approximate center of the reflector, an attachment such as a socket is further added to the light source bulb, and a thickness of the reflector is thickened more, thus bringing a subject of enlargement of the vehicle lamp.
Moreover, in the conventional vehicle lamp, in order to attach the light source bulb onto the reflector, a bulb attachment hole must be provided in the approximate center of the reflector, thus bringing a subject that the full of the reflection surface cannot be effectively utilized.
Furthermore, in the conventional vehicle lamp, since the light source bulb is attached onto the approximate center of the reflector, a placement spot of the light source bulb is fixed, and a degree of freedom in design is narrow, thus leading to a subject of lack in originality.
In order to solve the subjects as described above, the applicants of the present invention have already proposed a technology of guiding light of a light source placed outside an area of the reflector into the reflector by a light guide (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-234780).
The present invention is the one constituted by improving further the foregoing technology of the prior application. The present invention has an object to provide a vehicle lamp, in which a light guide is constituted by combining a plurality of light guide elements, thus facilitating forming and processing thereof at a low cost in high precision, and also enabling an emitting pattern to be set freely.
In order to achieve the foregoing object, the invention according to an aspect of the invention is a vehicle lamp, in which emitted light of a light source is reflected on a reflector, comprising: the light source provided outside the reflector; and a light guide having both end surfaces facing to the reflector and the light source respectively, the light guide being placed to make emitted light from the light source be guided into an area of the reflector, wherein the light guide is constituted by combining a plurality of light guide elements.
Therefore, according to this aspect of the invention, since the individual light guide elements can be formed to be thin or small, formation and processing thereof are simplified to bring cost reduction, and surface sink or the like is hard to occur, thus improving a light utilization efficiency.
Moreover, according to another aspect of the invention is a vehicle lamp, wherein the light guide has a structure, in which plate-shaped light guide elements are stacked in a thickness direction, each light guide element being formed in an approximate L-character shape and having an emitting portion, an incident portion and a curved portion connecting the emitting portion and the incident portion.
Therefore, according to this aspect of the invention, a curvature radius of the curved portion of the plate-shaped light guide element can be made small, thus improving the degree of freedom in design.
Moreover, according to another aspect of the invention is a vehicle lamp, wherein the light guide has a structure, in which stick-shaped light guide elements are joined in a width direction, each light guide element being formed in an approximate L-character shape and having an emitting portion, an incident portion and a curved portion connecting the emitting portion and the incident portion.
Therefore, according this aspect of the invention, incident/emitting patterns of light can be optionally set by shapes of the incident portion and the emitting portion of each light guide element.
Moreover, according to another aspect of the invention is a vehicle lamp, wherein the light guide has a structure, in which a plurality of light guide elements are stacked in such a manner that emitting portions on ends thereof are positionally shifted back and forward, and the respective emitting portions are made to face to individual reflectors.
Therefore, in the invention according to this aspect of the invention, light can be emitted from a plurality of reflectors by one light guide.